Since the dawn of American politics, there has always been a rift between the Republicans and the Democrats who come head-on when it comes to various topics such as gun control, abortion, voting rights, the death penalty, union organizing, environmental protection, and more.
Now, it is no secret that the United States Supreme Court has a Republican majority which also reflects in their legal proceedings but could there be room for corruption in the highest of the American Courts?
This majorly depends upon what you would consider corruption to be and how you define it. So, let’s talk about the US supreme court and its approach to justice.
The Grass Is Not Too Green On This Side
When you look at the situation from a strictly legal sense, you can see that justice is prevalent and crystal clear. ‘Public corruption’ is defined as the breach of trust of the public by government officials who have used their public office to Garner personal gain.
However, in 2016, this definition was further revised after the bribery conviction of Bob McDonnell, who was the former Virginia GOP Governor, after this case, public corruption was narrowed down to a swap of any sort of benefit for a specific governmental favor and it would require strict proof to bring it to the court.
However, when you observe the moral and political aspects of the judiciary in the USA. You witness how the republican majority is not a bunch of saints. It is a general notion that anyone affiliated with the courts from Judges to the jury, everyone is free of political bias and conflicts of interest but that is not the case.
These people are considered to be faithfully doing their work as the guardians of justice and ensuring that democratic values continue to stand. But history, on multiple occasions, has proved that this is a mere facade.
Laws Set In Place
There are laws set in place that ensure that judges are to stay free of any bias and they have to respect and comply with the constitution. These laws also outline that a judge cannot be influenced by family, social, political, or anything else during judicial conduct or judgment.
The judges are also entrusted to remove themselves from a proceeding if they feel that they are becoming biased or feeling prejudiced against one party for example, if their family or spouse is in court, there could be a possibility of bias.
This would mean that the judge should disqualify them. Any interest that could cloud the judgment should result in the Judge removing themselves.
All Except The Supreme Court
These laws apply to all judiciary except for the Supreme Court which means that there is no way to impeach or disqualify them since there are no criteria set in place. Many offenders like Clarence Thomas have benefitted from this immunity that the Supreme Court receives resulting in an unjust justice.
The Republican party also benefits majorly from its connection with the supreme court.